Mosque? Mosquito? HOAX

MOSQUE? MASJID?

..Or Just more lies for Muslims to pass around..

I am sure many brothers and sisters have received this HOAX.
ACTUALLY ~ NOT TRUE!
Someone is just trying hard to sell a book!
OK Here's the email - Read:

RE: CALL it a MASJID not Mosque (forward to everyone)

Dear Moslems,

Please read this and pass it on to any and all Moslems. It is important information.

Moslems have to stop saying "Mosque" In the book "The Complete Idiots Guide to Understanding Islam" it says so, and it is full of facts and great stuff I didn't know. You'll love this book, really.

One fact in the book is the word "mosque." Most of us think this the english translation of Masjid. I used to wonder how they got this, when they really had nothing in common with how they sounded.

Anyway this book proves the term mosque is from the spanish word for "mosquito." It was termed as such because during the Crusades, King Ferdinand said they were gonna go and swat the muslims "like mosquitos."

So dear Muslim brothers and sisters, do not use this word mosque, which is obviously a disgusting slap in the face to the Ummah

We must educate our brothers and sisters to the history and the source of this word. And let us replace by saying jammi (in place of the word Jammat) - Not "mosquito" to be swatted!

P.S. Go buy the book and read it for yourself - these guys really know their inside stuff!

This Email is a HOAX. It is yet another attempt to have the Muslims waste their time and energy on false stories and incorrect information. The authors of the book in question did a pretty nice job on some of what they offered, but by no means should any of it be taken as the "source of reference" for understanding Islam or anything close to be authoritive.

The mail out letter is just another Conspiracy notion offered by Non Muslims who want Muslims to waste their Precious time discussing these useless things that will make no difference to their life as well. Please do not forward it to people and help spread slur.

In fact when you get any email saying "Immediately Forward This To Everyone" and promising some huge rewards or warnings of what will happen if you don't forward it - just delete it - it is just another HOAX.

From my research, I have found that there are four possible origins for the word ‘mosque’ in the English language. The first possibility is that it derives from the French word ‘mosquee’ that existed during the period in French linguistic history known as ‘Middle French’. The second possibility is that it is a derivative of the Arabic word ‘masjid’. The third possibility is that it derives from the Old Italian word ‘moschea’ and the final possibility is that it comes from the Old Spanish word ‘mezquita’. These various words were used to describe the Muslim place of worship in the various languages mentioned.

With the above in mind, I believe it is important to keep a sensible perspective when approaching the origin of words. Words are dynamic and over time often change their meanings from what they originally may have been intended for. It is likely that there are many words in all languages that result from the ignorance or hatred that may have once existed between peoples, races, tribes or religions. We should consider contemporary usage of words and the intention of their current meanings as most important.

The book, Complete Idiot's Guide to Islam is only for Complete Idiots, not for Muslims who know. Please spend your time more constuctively rather than this kind of things. May Allah give Guidance to all Muslims and bring them on right path.

WasSalam,
Zafar
From: http://www.islamawareness.net/Mosque/hoax.html

See the following details below. We spent a lot of time researching and writing this, so please read it.
Now this is from the dictionary: mosque (first cited occurance: c. 1400):

[In 16th c. mosquee (later shortened to mosque), a. F. mosquée, a. It. moschea (whence G. moschee), a. Arab. masgid (so pronounced in N. Africa; elsewhere masjid), f. sagada (sajada) to worship.
Cf. early mod.F. mosquete, Sp. mezquita, Pg. mesquita, It. meschita (see MESQUITA1). Eng. writers have occas. used forms directly taken from Arabic, as MASJID, MOSGED, MUSCHID. Some of the forms above are from Italian; the precise history of the forms in Mandeville is obscure.]

for mosquito (first cited occurance: c. 1583):

[a. Sp. and Pg. mosquito, dim. of mosca (:L. musca) fly.
Cf. F. moustique (whence MOUSTICK Obs.), a metathetic alteration of the Sp. word.]

As you can clearly see that the Spanish word for Mosquito is "mosca".

See:
http://www.bartleby.com/61/40/M0434000.html
http://www.bartleby.com/61/39/M0433900.html